Kansas biolab moves closer to full funding from Washington, D.C.

Full federal funding for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kan., is inching closer to reality.

The Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday approved $300 million in construction funds for the biolab, where scientists will study toxins that could affect agriculture. The House Appropriations Committee has also endorsed the $300 million figure in FY 2015, as part of the full Homeland Security spending bill.

Neither spending bill has gone to the floor of either house.

The government has already agreed to spend $404 million for NBAF this year. The $300 million completes the federal government’s allocation for the project.

“The nation needs NBAF,” Sen. Jerry Moran said in a statement. “With this final $300 (million) investment, our plant and animal health will be better protected and the critical research will be done in Manhattan, Kansas.”

NBAF will eventually cost $1.2 billion. The state of Kansas is providing the bulk of the additional cost.